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World Community Grid Forums
Category: Active Research
Forum: Mapping Cancer Markers Forum
Thread: Interesting News Articles About Cancer |
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 533
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l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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Kidney stone drug found to starve pancreatic cancer cells to death
Like all cells in the body, cancerous cells need nutrients and energy to survive, which presents researchers with an opportunity to cut off the supply and slow their spread. A research team at Columbia University has made an exciting discovery in this area, finding that a compound currently under development for a rare kidney stone disease can starve pancreatic cancer cells of a key amino acid they depend on, a technique that proved to stop tumor growth in mice. [Experimental drug, likely to be used in conjunction with other treatments.] [. . .] More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/kidney-stone-drug-pancreatic-cancer-death/ |
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l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Sea sponge molecule stops cervical cancer cell growth in the lab
Scientists at the University of South Carolina have been investigating the cancer-fighting potential of sea sponges for some time, uncovering compounds that proved effective in tackling melanomas, prostate and pancreatic cancers. Their latest work centers on cervical cancer, the fourth most common cancer type among women, with 13,800 new diagnoses and 4,290 deaths expected in the US in 2020, according to the American Cancer Society. The researchers were testing out the capabilities of manzamine A, which is made naturally by the Acanthostronglyophora ingens sea sponge in Indonesia’s Manado Bay. Through previous studies, manzamine A had been established as an effective combatant against the parasite behind malaria, with studies in rodents showing how it can be used as a single-dose cure. The team conducted in vitro experiments in the lab where manzamine A was tested against four different cervical cancer cell lines. The scientists found that the compound was effective at stopping the growth of the cancer cells and in some cases caused them to die completely. Importantly, it did so while leaving non-cancerous cells unharmed. Much more at: https://newatlas.com/medical/sea-sponge-molec...vical-cancer-cell-growth/ |
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l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Newly discovered chemical in willow trees kills various cancer cells
Scientists from the UK’s Rothamsted Research and cancer biologists from the University of Kent have now discovered another chemical in willow trees with plenty of potential. Called miyabeacin, the researchers are particularly excited about how it might prove useful in treating cancers resistant to existing drugs. “With resistance to treatment being a significant issue in cancers such as neuroblastoma, new drugs with novel modes of action are required and miyabeacin perhaps offers a new opportunity in this respect,” says Rothamsted’s Professor Mike Beale, study co-author. “Structurally, it contains two salicin groups that give it a potential ‘double dose’ of anti-inflammatory and anti-blood clotting ability that we associate with aspirin. However, our results reporting the activity of miyabeacin against a number of cancer cell lines, including cell lines with acquired drug resistance, adds further evidence for the multi-faceted pharmacology of willow.” This optimism follows experiments where the researchers pitted miyabeacin against several breast, throat and ovarian cancer cell lines in the lab, where it was found to kill them off. What has the scientists particularly excited, however, was that it produced similar results against neuroblastoma, the most common form of solid tumor in children under five, and one with a survival rate of below 50 percent. [Only tested in cell lines in vitro.] More at:https://newatlas.com/medical/new-chemical-willow-trees-various-cancer-cells/ |
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l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Experimental cancer drug appears more effective, less toxic than others
While they haven’t found wide use yet, BET inhibitors are emerging as an effective treatment against cancers like leukemia and multiple myeloma. The problem is, so far they haven’t worked well against solid tumors, and they tend to have bad side effects, such as fatigue, nausea and reduced blood platelet counts. In the current study, researchers from Yale discovered and described a new BET inhibitor that improves on both of those problems. In animal tests the new drug, named NHWD-870, was found to be between three and 50 times more effective against cancer than other BET inhibitors. Better yet, it worked against a range of solid tumors, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer, small cell lung cancer, lymphoma and melanoma. The team also found that the drug was less toxic to the animals than other BET inhibitors. This metric was measured by a loss of body weight. The researchers found that NHWD-870 worked, at least in part, by preventing tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) from proliferating. These large white blood cells are known to support cancer cells by suppressing anti-tumor activity by the immune system, and helping cancer reappear after treatment. [Human tests soon.] More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/experimental-cancer-drug-bet-inhibitors/ |
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l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Schizophrenia drug points to improved brain cancer radiation therapy
Promising new research from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), suggests an old schizophrenia drug could significantly enhance the efficacy of radiation treatment for one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer [glioblastoma]. An old anti-psychotic drug called trifluoperazine, developed in the 1950s to treat schizophrenia, arose as a promising candidate. [Animal testing shows dramatic increase in survival time relative to current radiation and drug treatment. Human trials maybe later this year.] More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/radiation-schizo...rain-cancer-therapy-ucla/ |
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l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Small red blood cells could be novel early-stage cancer biomarker
New research conducted by a University of Exeter medical school student may have discovered a novel early-stage biomarker for a number of different cancers. The research found subjects with abnormally small red blood cells were twice as likely to be diagnosed with cancer as those with normal blood results. Examining over 100,000 anonymized UK patient data records the study homed in on around 12,000 records of patients with microcytosis. Overall, four percent of patients with microcytosis were diagnosed with cancer during the year-long follow-up. This compares to only two percent of patients without microcytosis being diagnosed with cancer across the same follow-up period. Looking at men in particular, the risk of cancer was slightly higher, with a 6.2 percent increase in cancer risk linked to microcytosis, compared to 2.7 percent in the male control. Colorectal, lung, lymphoma, kidney, and stomach cancers were most prominently associated with microcytosis. No link between breast cancer and microcytosis was detected in the data. Much more at: https://newatlas.com/medical/microcytosis-red...y-stage-cancer-biomarker/ |
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l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Promising new HPV saliva test detects early-stage throat cancer
A simple saliva test developed by QUT biomedical scientists has detected early throat cancer in a person who had no symptoms and no clinical signs of cancer. A series of saliva HPV tests detected an asymptomatic throat cancer during a trial of a new saliva diagnostic. Further validation studies are needed to confirm this finding It is a world-first discovery, previously there was no screening test for HPV-DNA oropharyngeal cancers. The patient had surgery in which a 2mm cancer was removed and has had no recurrence of HPV-DNA in his saliva. In what is believed to be a world-first, the non-invasive test picked up HPV-DNA in a saliva sample [oral mouth wash] from an infected healthy person. Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection [especially HPV-16-- get those inoculations if you can afford them] is now the leading cause of cancers in the oropharynx (tonsils and tongue base area of the throat). [The rise in popularity of oral sex practices in the general community is believed to be a major cause of the increase in oropharangeal cancers in the last few decades.] More at: https://www.qut.edu.au/news?id=162949 |
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l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Breast cancer vaccine developed by Australian scientists can stop disease returning
A VACCINE that can prevent breast cancer returning has been developed by Australian scientists and could be on the market within five to ten years. Trials of the vaccine in 31 women have shown it slashes the rate of breast cancer returning from 60 to just 12 per cent over a 15-year period. One of the scientists behind the breakthrough, Burnet Institute Professor Ian McKenzie, hopes that one day every woman will get the vaccine to prevent breast cancer. “This is my dream. The matter is harmless, why not inject it in all young women to protect them from cancer?” he said. The revolutionary vaccine, which uses the body’s own immune system to fight off cancer, could also be useful in treating and preventing pancreatic, ovarian, colon and lung cancer. The team behind the discovery identified a protein called mucin 1 that is different on cancer cells than normal cells. They then developed a sugar polymer, mannan, from baker’s yeast that was able to bind to this protein and attached a cancer antigen onto it. When it is injected into the body it prompts the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. Ninety per cent of breast cancers carry the mucin 1 protein targeted by the vaccine and it is also present in between 60-90 per cent of many other types of cancer. [Available in 5 to 10 years.] More detail at: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/brea...89105221a93dc1f0425a472e8 |
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yoerik
Senior Cruncher Canada Joined: Mar 24, 2020 Post Count: 413 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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that isn't just interesting - that's a fantastic breakthrough. I hope it makes it through trials, and can be used to stop that cancer.
----------------------------------------The war on Cancer is progressing! That's fantastic.  |
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l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Blocking genes halts growth, spread of triple negative breast cancer
The study focused on TRAF3IP2 and Rab27a, two genes that are known to contribute to tumor formation in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). This is a rare and often dangerous form of the disease, characterized by aggressive growth and spread, and poorer outlooks. Knowing the role of these two troublemaker genes, the researchers experimented with inhibiting them in animals to see if that improved the situation. Blocking Rab27a was found to stop growth of a tumor, but it did still manage to spread around a little. Targeting TRAF3IP2 proved more promising. When this gene was switched off, existing tumors shrank to levels that made them undetectable, and spread stopped completely. In fact, there was still no sign of metastasis one year after treatment. “Our findings show that both genes play a role in breast cancer growth and metastasis,” says Reza Izadpanah, lead researcher on the study. “While targeting Rab27a delays progression of tumor growth, it fails to affect the spread of tiny amounts of cancer cells, or micrometastasis. On the contrary, targeting TRAF3IP2 suppresses tumor growth and spread, and interfering with it both shrinks pre-formed tumors and prevents additional spread. This exciting discovery has revealed that TRAF3IP2 can play a role as a novel therapeutic target in breast cancer treatment.” [Applications to FDA to commence human trials soon.] More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/blocking-genes-triple-negative-breast-cancer/ |
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